Method of and apparatus for cleaning feed water heaters



Sept. 22, 1931. E, sc E s 1,824,505

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING FEED WATER HEATERS Filed Sept. 7,1928 VENTOR 1 m ATTORN EYS Patented Sept. 22, 193i I STATE OFFICE EUGENEL. scnnLLmvs, or mm mmw JERSEY, AssieNon To us nnernnnnme COMPANY,onmvcnnwoon, NEW asnsnmn (JORIOIIEtATIOITp15[DELAWARE vmmnon F ANDrrAnAros' son CLEANING FEED WATER fnm'r'nns Application filed SeptemberThis invention involves a method of and apparatus for cleaning feedwater heaters, and is particularly adapted to the cleaning of heaters ofthe closed or tubular type espe cially in locomotive service, since insuch service the conditions of operation are severe, the quality ofwater varies greatly as the locomotive moves from place to place, and

p the expense and trouble of maintaining suitable cleaning equipment andcrews at various points is almost prohibitive. In bad water districts,particularly, th closed type of feed water heater hasheretofore been ata great disadvantage, owing to the formation of scale .on the water sideof the tubes. In such districts, it is not unusual, in order to maintainthe efliciencyof the heater, to remove the scale-asfrequently as once aweek. It has been heretofore necessary to supply and maintain, at eachterminal, rather elaborate ment for this purpose.

Ithas also required considerable time to apparatus or equipconnect upthe apparatus with theheater,

time.

" and during the washing, which has hereto,-

fore usually required several hours,'the locomotive is out of serviceand the workmen or attendants arefrequently idle during that Costs arethereby multiplied. M In additionto the foregoing, if scale-en- Icrusted heaters are not regularly cleaned, the

losses in heat transfer resulting from the scale are so excessive thatany attempt to f equip a locomotive with the proper size of, heater islargely nullified,

In general, it is the object of invention to overcome thesediflicultiesand disadvantages, and to do so ina very slmple manner withthe least complication of aprparatus.

More specifically the invention contem plates a method and apparatusforcleaning feed water heaters which eliminates the necessity forequipment and. costly cleaning crews at terminals; which reduces thetime required to clean theheater; which utilizes the feed water systemitself, as at present constructed and applied to locomotlve's, to cleanthe heater; which automatically clears out the acid or othercleaningcompound at 131928. Serial, my, 304,591.

clear from the following description, taken together withtheaccompanying drawing which is a somewhat diagrammatic fragmentaryside View of a locomotive embodying the apparatus of the presentinvention. The drawing illustrates a locomotive having a boiler 2, aclosed type feed water. heater 3, a pump 4 which takes waterfrom thetender, (not shown) through pipe 5 and dc: livers it through pipe 6 tothe heater, an outlet pipe 7 from the heater to the check valve 8delivering into the water space of the boiler, an exhaust steamconnection 9 from the valve chest 10 to the heater, a heater condensatedrain 11, a live steam heatingpipe 12 having the usual valve 13connected into the steam space of the boiler for warming thefeed watersystem to prevent freezing when the engine is standing idle, and

a drain cock 14 in the line 6 forpermitting a circulation through thesystem from pipes Band 7 for warming purposes. A'

check valve 60;, locatedin pipe 6 between the pump "4 and the drain cockl, prevents the leakage of the main check valve While the invention mayreadily be empump from filling with steam in case of ployed in"connection with other forms of heaters, the heater 3, here shown, withits water tubes 3a, is of the'multLtube semi-cii cular type,fullyillustrated and described in the'co-pending application of E. L.and C. A. Schellens, 'Serial No. 94,370, filed March 13, 1926,'andassigned to the assignee of this presentinvention. Such heater has aplurality of passes of water tubes, connectedserially, -to' the firstpass of which the water flows from inlet pipe 6, and from thefinalpass'of which'the-water passes into the outlet pipe-7 and thence to theboiler. The present inventioncontemplates the employment of the warmingsystem, or steam line 12, for carrying cleaning mashown, above the highwater level (indi cated at 17). r I

When the locomotive comes in from arun, there is poured into the tank orreservoir 15, through the filling plug 16, aboutl, 2' or 3 quarts of aconcentratedcleaning solution, such, for example, as a fluid containingmuriatic acid. I

Drain cook 14 is then opened slightly, and

steam heat valve 13 is opened, and the engineis so left until it isready to go out.

The steam forces the solution from tank 15 through pipe l2into theheater discharge line 7-, the solution being diluted with the watertherein. The condensing steam, produced by the radiation of this pipe 7gradually causes the solution to Work ,back

through the heater tubes 3a, and thence, in a more and more dilutedform, through pipe 6' to the drain cook 14. It is also evident that, ina heater having a plurality of 2: passes of water tubes,..the solution,while it is strongest, will work first threugh the final pass of tubes(where thescale isalways the heaviest), and will become suc cessively orprogressively dilutedas it works vT toward the first pass of water tubes(where the scale is least heavy), thus automatically providingapproximately the proper strength for the several passes of tubes.

,It will now. be obvious that vthe invention does away-with thenecessity for any complicated apparatus, and makes thecleani-ng of theheater so simple that it can be accomplished with little labor andslight cost, at the end ofeach trip if necessary. In bad 1",, waterdistricts whenever an engine comes in from a run there will be a'smallamount of scale in the heater tubes which, if immediately removed,presents no. serious problem. It is, therefore, bythis invention 5feasible to maintain the heater. in a. high state of efficiency insteadof waiting until alarge part of thenormal feed water heating savings aresacrificed. p v

7 It will now further appearthat the present invention, since itprovides for the introduction of the solution into the heater at boilingtemperature, greatly hastens the chemical action and reduces the timeelement required to dissolve a 'given a-inount of scale. Furthermore,since the solution en ters the heater at the exit side where the. scaleis worst, itis strongest there, and becomes progressively diluted as 1it flows through to theinlet side, and, since condenisate is continuallyadded, from the steam introduced, the solution is completely dischargedafter a brief period of operation and is displaced by distilled water,which washes the acid away from the metal surfaces and automaticallyeliminates the corrosion which would occur if the solution were allowedto remainin the heater.

In addition to the foregoing, the employment ofthe usual warming systemoutlet :14, which is at the-discharge side of the pump 4, as-a drain forthe cleaning-solution, prevents the entry thereof into the pump.The'usual check Valve 6a also serves the same end.

hat is claimed as new is: 1. The method of cleaning a tubular feed waterheater which consists in carrying a.

cleaning. solution through the heater tubes from the outlet .side of theheater to the inlet side and in diluting the solution by the carryingmedium as .it passes through the heater;

2.. The method of cleaning a water-tube feed water heater having ananti-freeze or warming system, which consists in utilizlng saidwarming-system to carry a cleaner through the tubes of the heater.

3. The method of cleaning a boiler feed water system which consists in.flowing steam into the system under the influence of condensationtherein, in introducing a cleaner into the system with said steam, and ncarrying the cleaner through said system 1n a direction reverse to thenormal direction of flow.

4. Tll'filllQtlIOf-l of cleaning a boiler feed water system whichconsists in passing steam into the systeanadjacent the normal outletside thereof, in introducing a cleaner lnto the system by means of saidsteam, in condensing the steam in said system, and in drainingthecondensate and cleaner from the system at the normal inlet sidethereof.

3. The method of cleaning a locomotive bolle'r tubular-feed waterheater, which conslsts in introducing steam from the boiler into theheater tubes atthe exit side of the heater, in introducin a cleanertherewith,

and 'dr-a ini n'g'off the mixture at the water inlet s ide of theheater.

The method of cleaning, a locomotive boiler tubular feed waterheater,which conslstsfi'n introducing steam from the boiler into the heatertubes at the exit side of the heater, in introducing a quantity ofcleaning-solution therewith, in continuing the introduction of steamafter the introduction of the cleaning solution, and in flowing off, atthe water inlet side of the heater, the solution introduced.

7.,The method of cleaning a multi-iube liquid heater having the tubes ina plurality of passes, which consists in passing a cleaning solutionthrough the tubes by introducing the same into the last pass first andthence successivelythrough the other passes.

8. The method of cleaning a multi-tube liquid heater having the tubes ina plurality of passes, which consists in passing a cleaning solutionthrough the tubes by introducing the same into the last pass first andthence successively through the other passes, and in diluting thesolution by its carrying medium asit flows through the passes.

9. The method of cleaning a multi-tube liquid heater having the tubes ina plurality of passes, which consists in passlng a cleaning solutionthrough the tubes by introducing the same into the last pass first andthence successively through the other passes,

and in effecting said flow by steam.

10. In a closed feed water heater system for boilers, the inclusion ofmeans for introducing a cleaner into the water side of the system andmeans for flowing it there.

including a conduit and valve means for in troducing steam from theboiler to a point in the system and a drain cock at another point in thesystem.

12. The combination, with a locomotive having a boiler, a feed watersystem including a tubular heater, a water delivery line to the heater,and a water discharge line from heater to boiler, of means for passing acleaning solution through the tubes of the heater including means forintroducing the solution into the heater on the side of the dischargeline and means for "discharging it therefrom on the side of the deliveryline.

13. The combination, with a locomotive having a boiler, a feed watersystem including a tubular heater, a water delivery line to the heater,and a water discharge line from heater to boiler, of means for p assinga cleaning solution through the tubes of the heater including a steamconduit from the boiler to the discharge line having a valve and acleaning-solution res-.

ervoir therein, and a drain cock in said delivery line.

14. In a locomotive, having a feed water system witha tubular waterheater therein and a steam warming system connected to the water side ofthe feed water system, means in the warming system for passingavcleaning solution through the said water side of the heater. V

'15. In a locomotive, having a feed water system with a tubular waterheater therein and a steam warming system connected to the water side.of the feed water system, means in the warming system for passing acleaning solution through the said water side of the heater with thewarming fluid.

16. In combination with a locomotive having a boiler and a multi-tubemulti-pass feed water heater, a'water-inlet connection to the first passof the heater, a water outlet connection from the last passof the heaterto the boiler, meansfor introducing a cleaning solution into the heatertubes through the outlet connection, and means for discharging saidsolution from the inlet connection.

I 17. In combination with a locomotive having a'boiler and a multi-tubemulti-pass feed water heater, a water-inlet connection to the first passof the heater, a water out- .let connection from the last pass of theheater to the boiler, means for introducing a cleaning solution into theheater tubes through the outlet connection, and means for dischargingsaid solution from the inlet connection, said introducing meanscomprising a steam supply pipe with a cleaner tank connected therein.

18. In combination with a locomotive and its boiler and feed waterheater, a water deliver line to the heater, a water discharge line romheater to boiler, a pump in said delivery line, means for flowing acleaning solution from the discharge line through the heater and thenceto the delivery line, and

means preventing entry of the solution from D the delivery linev intothe pump.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name. I

EUGENE L. SCHELLEN S.

